Distant bodies

“Look at standing stones. Standing stones placed thousands of years ago… on a hill, on a distant island at night. Imagine then, no lights but stars .. and then didn’t we see those stars yesterday, weren’t they over there. Let’s line two atones up to mark them. And bingo, tell your friends, bigger stones, huge rocks, pyramids, maths, physics, etc.”

So begins Baranby Chiverton’s new play, Distant Bodies. In it you’ll find plenty of talk about standing stones, star gazing, and aliens, and truth (is it out there?). In Chiverton’s universe the cosmos functions as a metaphor for curiosity and as a contrast to the suburban ennui of his central characters. But I found the scientific metaphors a pompous distraction. For me the dialogue worked best when it was contained – in a house, in a café, in a supermarket; the more urban the context; the more awkward and engaging the narrative.

Says Chiverton of the themes examined in the play: “I was interested in exploring relationships, particularly romantic relationships that have gone beyond the ‘first flush’. This theme was the generator for the play rather than any story. To study this theme I set up a range of characters as archetypes; a young couple to show optimism, a middle aged couple to act as explorers, an older man to demonstrate ruin, and a loving (but deceased) elderly couple to represent hope.”

The explorers – Di (played wickedly and brilliantly by Samantha Morley) and Joe (played with perfectly pitched sleaze by Chris Broadstock) have the most interesting journey. The sparring, the cynicism, the boredom, the will I, won’t I – is all beautifully captured in Chiverton’s dialogue. He is less successful with his case he makes for optimism. The lovers – represented by Abby (played with wide eyed innocence by Shanti Pezet) and Eddy (a delightfully nerdy Oliver Skrzypczynski) – plod on, despite bad first time sex and Abby’s constant references to her deceased/ idealised grandparents (enough to ward off any potential suitor surely?). The study of ‘ruin’ is the most unresolved. Graham Murray, despite all his efforts, struggles to make Allan work largely because his character’s arc is flawed – Allan begins as an outlaw and is redeemed (in a somewhat surprising ‘twist’) as a lover/ caregiver. Chiverton uses him to tie up the loose ends of the narrative, rather than as a vehicle for any sort of meaningful narrative.

What Chiverton does do well is create complexity, confusion, desire and awkwardness – the very stuff that a modern comedy of manners is made of. Chiverton and his production company Evaporating Sun Theatre are a welcome addition to Melbourne’s Off Broadway scene. Watch this space.

Distant Bodies

Season: Wednesday, 21 April 2010
to Saturday, 8 May 2010